Over 15% Decline in Cotton Acreage

14-Jul-2026 04:35 PM

New Delhi: Although a 5–7% increase in the total national cotton cultivation area was projected for the current Kharif season compared to last year, a significant decline in acreage has persisted instead.

Sowing operations have concluded in the northern states, and the area under cultivation has shrunk across all three—Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan.

According to the latest weekly report from the Union Ministry of Agriculture, the total national cotton cultivation area reached only 79.54 lakh hectares by July 10, 2026. This marks a reduction of 14.41 lakh hectares—or 15.33%—compared to the 93.95 lakh hectares sown during the same period last year.

The normal average area for cotton is estimated at 125.51 lakh hectares, a figure the actual acreage currently lags far behind. Gujarat is considered the leading cotton-producing state, yet the sowing area for this vital industrial fiber crop there has dropped from 18.57 lakh hectares last year to 16.75 lakh hectares this season. The pace of cotton sowing is expected to remain sluggish going forward.